You know it is gonna sell out. You know it is for a good cause. And, you know you are gonna have a hell of a good time. So get your tickets NOW before they sell out for the 2013 Red Dress Party–Red Handed.

What started as a small social gathering over ten years ago is now the event of the spring season here in Queer PDX, with over 2000 attendees. All in red dresses. And, all for a good cause. This year’s event on May 4th will be headlined by DJ Nina Flowers of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Tickets will sell out, that is why we are getting this to you so soon. Get your tickets now and don’t miss out. Then, you will have almost two months to find the perfect little red dress.

Wow, the Alberta Rose has been booking some queertastic events lately. Joey Arias brought down the house a couple weeks ago, and, on April 5th, society child Janis Ian will perform.

Singer-songwriter rocked the nation with her subversive hit Society’s Child, which was banned across the nation before becoming a #1 hit. She returned a few years later with the hit song At Seventeen, a searing ballad about bullying. And, she just won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album, beating out Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Rachel Maddow and Ellen Degeneres (WOW). Out and proud for, oh decades now, Janis Ian is a true original and an absolute must-see.

Time change days like today are always so odd feeling. I’m always drawn to the comfort of familiar faces and places. Today is the perfect day to hang out at Starky’s.

Starky’s (on…you guessed it…SE Stark) is my go-to neighborhood gay bar in Portland. Well, it isn’t so much a bar as it is a tavern. Part restaurant, part bar and all fun. I always know I’m going to run into someone I know at Starky’s or make a new friend. It is yet another example of one of Portland’s great neighborhood bars, this one close-in SE near the Restaurant Row on 28th.

The food at Starky’s is hearty and affordable, from the Monday burger specials to the Sunday brunch. Oh, and the drinks are big and strong! I’m pretty sure they have the best onion rings in all of PDX. Love the parking lot events in the summertime, like the Oregon Bears carwash and dunktank. And, happy hour is always a busy scene that spills out on to the patio.

Just yesterday, we were posting about the queer gayborhood that is North Portland. Tonight, you can find out for yourself at the first anniversary of BMP/GRND at The Foggy Notion. And, oh yeah, the theme is Showgirls. Yes, that Showgirls. Squeeee!

BMP/GRND is Portland’s only queer dance night devoted entirely to the 90s. You better dress appropriately and bring some good request, so dig out your best/worst 90s-inspired fashion for a discounted cover. This is the closest you can come to time travel!

Tonight, Showgirls starts promptly at 8pm and the music starts at 10. And, the 90s will go on forever.

Here at the 365PDXq blog, we’ll occasionally look at one Portland gayborhood in particular. This time, let’s traipse through North Portland. Ready to take on the Fifth Quadrant?

North Portland is best known for St. Johns, a little town square in the farthest reaches of NoPo. St. Johns has a lively history, as it was one of the first main burgs along the Willamette, each one competing to be the main hub of the growing region. The city of Portland won out and annexed St. Johns in 1915, but the separatist mood still survives in this far-flung outpost of PDX. You can get to St. Johns by going as far west on Lombard Avenue as possible, or by crossing the beautiful St. Johns Bridge from NW Portland. Even though it is remote, St. Johns has its own movie theatres, a McMenamins outpost, a food cart pod, and farmer’s market. Once you get there, you may never need to leave.

North Portland has long been popular with the LGBT population of Portland. Its alternative flavor has welcomed and provided safe harbor for those not interested in the downtown scene. While there are no strictly queer nightspots or watering holes, both the Mock Crest Tavern and the Foggy Notion are uber-queer-friendly. And, The Fixin’ To hosts the queer mixer Sweet Tea on a semi-regular basis. Plus, the Q Center and The Eagle are not too far away.

Read the whole article, with information on Paul Bunyan up there, plus parks and architecture, over at the Portland Gayborhood website.

UNFIT takes us back to Florida in 1995, so you already know it isn’t a happy story. Mary Ward, a divorced mom, is trying to get an increase in child support from her deadbeat ex-husband, but the judge not only denies the request, but gives cutody of the kids to the father because Mary is a lesbian. And, oh yeah, Mr. Ward murdered his first wife and had allegations of child molestation. But, y’know, at least he wasn’t a lesbian?!?!

Prepare to be outraged with a group of your peers when you see UNFIT at this year’s POW Fest.

More pride prep…guess we’re already thinking about June and maybe some sunny weather.

Last year, The Q Center and the Gay Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest sponsored Queer Heroes, naming 30 heroes from Portland LGBT community. The inaugural list included such luminaries as Darcelle and Kathleen Saadat. Each day during Pride, the Queer Heroes project will announce one more hero. Their name and picture will also be displayed at the Q Center and the special Queer Hero exhibit at Pride. And, throughout the year, the Queer Hero exhibit tours the community.

So, who deserves to be honored as a Queer Hero in 2013? Share your thoughts and ideas with The Q Center and GLAPN at the Queer Heroes website. Nominations are due by March 15th!